WATCH: Incredible tick removal hack

A video of a woman using peppermint oil to kill a tick has gone viral.

Peppermint oil is death to ticks

After finding a tick buried into her skin, the woman simply put a drop of peppermint oil over it and waited for the tick to detach itself. After only about 20 seconds, the tick removed its head from her skin and can be seen struggling to escape.

Ticks are nasty parasites that feed on animal and human blood. They are often found in grassy or forested areas where they wait to attach themselves to the exposed skin of a host.

People should take care when dealing with ticks as the improper removal of them can have significant harmful consequences including Lyme disease, or a range of reactions depending on the type of tick. In some cases it can even lead to developing a mammalian meat allergy (MMA), causing a severe reaction to the meat of mammals.

Ticks can usually be found in wet grassy areas and thrive in a humid climate. Source: Getty

The NSW Department of Health recommends that people who are not allergic to ticks remove them very carefully with a set of fine-tipped tweezers and ensuring you do not squeeze the tick's body as you pull it out.